Man questioned in licensing auditor's disappearance

| Thursday, June 20, 2002

A Washington
truckdriver sought for questioning in the disappearance of a state
licensing department auditor who planned to meet with him last
week, has been questioned by police. Ralph Benson also was investigated
but never charged in the disappearance of a fellow trucker in
1991.

Auditor Roger
Erdman was last seen June 12 as he headed from his Spokane office
to Davenport. Erdman, who analyzes truckers' records for compliance
with fuel taxes and license fees, was scheduled to meet that same
day with Benson to gather records for an audit, for which Benson
was randomly selected, according to a published report.

Benson was
contacted by police in Sparks, NV, according to a published report.
Benson, who was out on the road on business, came in willingly
and was interviewed and released. Authorities also searched Benson's
property in Davenport, WA.

Benson was
investigated but never charged in the disappearance of trucker John
W. Deetz in December 1988. Deetz's rig was found in 1991 on land
owned by Benson in Southern California, but Deetz has never been
found.